RIP and OSPF, two forms of dynamic routing, offer more scalability than static routing protocols and the capacity to dynamically respond to network topological changes, such as a failing element, reconfiguring traffic through other channels with minimal impact. OSPF is the most extensively used IGP for big industrial networks, whilst RIP is among the earliest routing protocols in use.
Key Takeaways
- RIP (Routing Information Protocol) is a distance-vector routing protocol used to exchange routing information between routers on a network. At the same time, OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) is a link-state routing protocol that determines the shortest path between routers on a network.
- RIP sends out updates every 30 seconds, while OSPF only sends out updates when there is a change in the network topology.
- OSPF is more efficient and scalable than RIP but is also more complex to configure and manage.
RIP vs OSPF
RIP is a distance-vector routing protocol that works by sending out routing tables to its neighbouring routers every 30 seconds. OSPF is a link-state routing protocol that uses more advanced algorithms to calculate the shortest path between two points. OSPF is more scalable than RIP and can handle larger networks with more complex topologies.
RIP is a distance-vector protocol that broadcasts regular network updates; RIP broadcasts every 30 seconds, and it, too, initiates updates when the network changes.
It calculates the routing metric, which defines the optimum path to reach a system, using hop counts. The maximum number of routers supported by RIP is 15, and the 16th hop is regarded as inaccessible or unsharable.
OSPF is widely used for an Interior Gateway Protocol. It creates a topology map of a system after receiving information from accessible routers.
OSPF communicates with networks in the very same autonomous system via areas; first, they build neighbour relationships with routers in the same autonomous system.
Each area should be connected to a backbone area, known as “area 0,” virtually or physically. The routing table, neighbour table, and database table are all maintained by OSPF.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | RIP | OSPF |
|---|---|---|
| Full Forms | RIP basically refers to Routing Information Protocol. | On the other hand, OSPF stands for Open Shortest Path First. |
| Part of Class | RIP is a classic example of Distance vector routing protocols along with EIGRP. | OSPF is a perfect example of a Link State routing protocol. |
| Construction of Network | The router combines the routing tables of surrounding devices to create its own routing table, which it sends out at regular intervals to surrounding devices. | The router centralizes the routing table by receiving the data it needs from surrounding devices; it never obtains the whole routing table. |
| Classification of Network | The networks in RIP are divided into two categories: areas and tables. | Regions, sub-areas, autonomous systems, and core areas are all network protocols in OSPF. |
| Requirement of Resource | The entire routing table is sent, which consumes a lot of bandwidth. | Only little updates are given, as opposed to RIP. |
What is RIP?
RIP (Routing Information Protocol) is an instance of distance vector routing for local area networks. Every 30 seconds, RIP sends the entire routing table to all active interfaces.
Hop count is the single statistic used in the RIP protocols to determine the best route to a remote network. Let’s look at an example of how the RIP protocol works:
Assume there are two ways from the Origin to the destination. Because Path 2 has fewer hops, it is obvious that the RIP protocol will choose it.
Because it transmits updates every 30 seconds, RIP can cause traffic congestion. Because any RIP routing update consumes a lot of bandwidth, the resources available for important IT tasks are constrained.
Because RIP’s hop counts are capped at 15, any router beyond that range is deemed infinity and thus unreachable. Convergence takes a lot more time to succeed.
When a link is down, finding alternative routes takes a long time. RIP does not support multiple pathways on the same route, which may result in extra routing loops.
When comparing routes based on the data, RIP backfires when utilizing fixed hop count criteria to choose the best routes.
What is OSPF?
The link-state routing algorithm OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) is extensively utilized in large industrial systems.
The OSPF routing protocol takes position information from network routers and uses it to generate routing table data for packet forwarding.
This is accomplished by constructing a network topology map. Unlike RIP, OSPF only shares periodic routing once the network topology changes.
The OSPF protocol is best suited for complicated networks with several subnets that need to be managed and traffic optimized. When a change happens, it determines the shortest route with the least amount of network traffic.
Routers can generate routes associated with the input requests using the SPF routing protocol, which has comprehensive knowledge of network topology.
Unlike the RIP protocol, which has a maximum of 15 hops, the OSPF protocol has no such restriction. As a result, OSPF works better and also has a superior routing protocol than RIP.
OSPF multicasts connection changes and only transmits them whenever a networking update occurs.
The OSPF protocol necessitates a high level of understanding of complicated networks, making it more difficult to learn than other protocols.
When many routers are connected to the system, OSPF networking does not scale. OSPF is inadequate for routing around the Internet due to its lack of scalability.
Main Differences Between RIP and OSPF
- RIP basically refers to Routing Information Protocol. On the other hand, OSPF stands for Open Shortest Path First.
- RIP is a classic example of Distance vector routing protocols along with EIGRP. OSPF is a perfect example of a Link State routing protocol.
- In the case of RIP, the router combines the routing tables of surrounding devices to create its own routing table, which it sends out at regular intervals to surrounding devices. In OSPF, the router centralizes the routing table just by receiving the data it needs from surrounding devices; it never obtains the whole routing table.
- The networks in RIP are divided into two categories: areas and tables, whereas Regions, sub-areas, autonomous systems, and core areas are all network protocols in OSPF.
- The entire routing table is sent, which consumes a lot of bandwidth in RIP. On the other hand, in OSPF, only little updates are given, as opposed to RIP.
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7193275
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5474509
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